There are very few times in our adult lives that we meet people and instantaneously want to become friends. Meeting Marlo and Dan back on the sand volleyball courts in Minnesota was one of those times for me. These two awesome peeps are down to earth, caring, funny and know how to have a good time.

Over many-a-Wednesday night filled with volleyball, pizza and beer of course...we began to develop that friendship. Now, over a year later I got to spend one of the most important days of their lives helping to capture their wedding day. To say I was honored is an understatement.

The wedding was in a beautiful forest in Deerwood, MN where Dan had spent his summers attending summer camp. It was unlike any wedding I had ever been to and it was "so them". Everything felt very genuine and gave me the warm fuzzies...or maybe that was the 80 degree temperature :)

The weather forecast had been saying thunderstorms and hail for about a week, so going into the day I just kept thinking: "we have to do the best we can with what we get". When I met Marlo at the beginning of the day I could tell that we were both secretly crossing our fingers for no rain...and beneath her calm exterior I could sense a little worry and disappointment about the impending bad weather.

After all the worry and watching the weather we ended up getting an AWESOME, rain free day! I couldn't believe it. It was as if the rain was waiting for us to finish the wedding because at 10:30pm, when the dance party was in full-swing inside it began to thunderstorm and pour rain.

We were able to go galavant in the forest and get great pics throughout the day, and with all that beauty in the forest it would have been a shame not to. I believe that the best backdrop to any photo is the one that God created :)

Although I knew I wanted to give them some traditional photos, I also wanted to have a little fun with them. I made some mustaches because during our pre-wedding call Marlo said: "The more creative, the better." So I gave it my best, trying not to disappoint :)

Our little "Mustache Session" pics have to be some of my absolute favorites of all time! It's amazing what some dowel rods, black felt and hot glue can do!

This was the first wedding I have been to without a cake...I knew that cake-pops are becoming popular, but now I know why. These little delights on a sticks are super delish. The one you see on the right was my treat and it was rich chocolate with sea salt - yum.

They even had two cute cake pops designed as bride and groom pops which replaced their "first bite of cake" :)

The night was filled with BBQ, an open bar staffed by their nearest and dearest and tons of dancing and great music.

The point of the night that had the most amazing energy and excitement was when the brass band began playing New Orleans style music in the woods. Everyone was dancing and having the time of their lives. They had these adorable his & her parasoles which added to the New Orleans flare. I was shakin' it while being careful of my camera. But who can resist amazing tunes!?

These two make you feel comfortable in their presence and get you excited about life. I know that that their lives together are going to be filled with many adventures, passion, love and most importantly...laughter. Thank you both for allowing me to fill this role during your big day, it means the world to me to be able to capture the love I have always seen between you two.

Cheers to two fantastic friends, Marlo and Dan...may the years to come be just as great, if not greater than the years that have passed [hugs]

Katie - these photos are AWESOME! We're so lucky to have such a talented, hard-working friend like you. I honestly could not be happier with how everything turned out, and I haven't even seen all the pics yet! Thank you for putting this blog together and recounting the day for us in words and images.